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Parishes urged to mark St Bakhita’s Day

By Staff writers February 6, 20180

An image of Sudanese St Josephine Margaret Bakhita is carried in procession during a prayer service led by Pope Francis for peace in South Sudan and Congo in St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican November on 23. PHOTO: CNS/Max Rossi, Reuters

The Catholic Church in Australia is vowing to tackle the scourge of modern slavery and human trafficking, as it prepares to celebrate the feast day of one-time slave, St Josephine Bakhita, on 8 February.

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) and Australian Catholic Religious Against the Trafficking of Humans (ACRATH) are encouraging parishes to mark the saint’s feast day this weekend.

“St Josephine Bakhita’s feast day is an opportunity to raise awareness about human trafficking,” said Bishop Greg O’Kelly SJ, chairman of the Bishops Conference for Justice, Ecology and Development.

“Pope Francis has called us to make a difference. Our steps may be small, but together we can achieve a great deal, especially when we work with others to stop human trafficking.”

ACBC has endorsed the Statement of Support for an Australian Modern Slavery Act, prepared by the Human Rights Commission Roundtable earlier in 2017.

There are more than 500 different human trafficking routes across many parts of the world, according to a 2016 United Nations report.

It is estimated that millions of women, girls, men and boys are trafficked annually into domestic servitude, sexual exploitation, pornography, forced marriage and forced labour. Almost 80 per cent of detected victims of trafficking are women and girls.